Eli Lilly, which makes obesity and diabetes drugs Zepbound and Monjaro, said these drugs could reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 94% in prediabetic adults who were overweight or obese after taking weekly injections for three years. Monjaro and Zepbound have tirzepatide as the main ingredient.

According to an NBC News report, the company said the data comes from the longest-running trial of the drug, and reinforces tirzepatide’s long-term benefits.

Preliminary results from the late-stage trial, “SURMOUNT-1”, were first reported in 2022. Data at the time showed that the drug could significantly help reduce weight in obese patients, which also helped it gain approval from the US regulatory body. The trial involved 1,032 adults who were given weekly injections of the Lilly drug, which showed a 94% reduction in the risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes compared to placebo by the 176th week.

The data comes amid concerns that patients are reducing their use of weight loss drugs over time. The company also said the drugs’ safety profile is consistent with previously published data. The company said treatment with tirzepatide resulted in an average weight loss of 22.9%, compared with just 2.1% for placebo.

Earlier this month, the company said both Zepbound and Monjaro could help improve heart failure symptoms in obese patients. Lilly’s trial found that patients who were given tirzepatide were 38% less likely to be hospitalized, need increased heart failure medication or die from cardiovascular complications, compared with those who took a placebo.

The researchers analyzed people with heart attacks with preserved ejection fraction, which affects more than half of heart attack patients. In this type of condition, the heart walls become stiff, making it more difficult for the heart to fill with blood and then pump enough blood to the body.

The mechanism of how tirzepatide helps heart failure patients is still unclear. However, Dr. Jeff Amick, senior vice president of product development at Lilly, said it may be linked to a reduction in fat deposits around the heart. “We’ll try to see if there’s a reduction in epicardial fat,” he said.

In July this year, India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) approved Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide. Tirzepatide contains a GLP-1 agonist that mimics a natural hormone in the body that regulates appetite and blood sugar. This reduces your food intake and eventually helps in weight loss. Tirzepatide also contains a second hormone called GIP that helps improve the way the body breaks down sugars and fats.

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